Citation Sovereign+ certified, deliveries begin

The new Citation Sovereign+, whose name now includes a “+” to differentiate it from its predecessor, brings increased range, updated technologies and enhanced performance to the company’s Citation Sovereign business jet, according to Cessna officials.

Brad Thress, Cessna senior vice president of Business Jets, says: “We increased the full fuel payload, added winglets, cutting-edge Garmin G5000 avionics, auto throttles and outstanding performance for hundreds of dollars less per hour than any aircraft in its category. Our customers are looking forward to seeing the aircraft with winglets, giving it a distinct appearance as well as an aerodynamic boost that means 150 additional nautical miles of range.”

Featuring winglets and the new Pratt & Whitney Canada PW306D engines providing 5,852 pounds of thrust, the Citation Sovereign+ has a range of 3,000 nautical miles (3,452 statute miles), a top speed of 458 knots (527 miles per hour) and a direct climb to 45,000 feet.

The new cockpit is designed around the Cessna Intrinzic Flight Deck powered by Garmin G5000 avionics. An integrated, workload-reducing auto throttle system streamlines the pilots’ tasks, Cessna officials said. New cabin amenities include the integrated Cessna Clairity cabin management system with user-friendly touch-screen controllers and larger and more comfortable seats.

Cessna is offering the Sovereign+ with a Sovereign Shield program covering all scheduled maintenance and parts costs for the aircraft’s first five years or 1,500 flight hours.

In service since 2004, the Citation Sovereign has reached a fleet of 349 aircraft worldwide and amassed more than 802,000 flight hours. Cessna announced plans for the new Sovereign+ at the National Business Aviation Association convention in October 2012. The first production aircraft rolled off the assembly line in Wichita in early March, followed by first flight in April.